Artificial breast for amputees



Dec. 3, 1957 s. G. BERMAN 2,814,308

ARTIFICIAL BREAST FOR AMPUTEES Filed May 10, 1954 JamaeZGiBefimazz ATTORNEY United Stes Patent ARTIFICIAL BREAST FOR AMPUTEES Samuel G. Berman, New- York, N. Y.

Application May.10, 1954, Serial No. 428,459

6 Claims. (Cl. 3-1) The. present invention relates to an artificial breast for amputees and it particularly relates to an artificial breast which will closelyconform to the body of the wearer without discomfort and without tendency toward dislodgment.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide anartifieial breast of the character described which will .be of light weight, of such pliability and flexibilityto' resemble body tissues and which may be readily shaped and formed so as to closely conform or re-eonform to body contour and outlines.

Another objeetis toprovide an artificial breast which will retain its position upon the body of the wearer without tendency to become dislodged or canted or rotated and which may be worn under usual foundation garments such as brassieres or brassiere slips or which may be worn directly under evening dresses.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects, it has been found most satisfactory, according to one embodiment of the present invention, to provide a foam rubber or sponge rubber replacement for the body portion which has been removed, which will be formed of a series of superimposed layers of material with separation planes or reinforeement planes consisting of cemented films which are at evenly disposed heights or spacings and which will tend to form a series of contour lines.

Desirably, the form or replacement should achieve a peak above the left outside portion of the breast and should achieve a maximum rearward extension under and below the arm-pit with the intervening portion having a curvature which conforms to that of the arm-pit.

By having a side flange which extends under the armpit and beyond and around the side of the body, it is possible to provide a breast which will closely conform itself to the body and which will retain its position upon the body.

Desirably, the interior of the form is sculptured so as to closely conform to the body shape whereas the exterior will simulate the normal outside body contour.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims appended hereunto.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view showing the artificialbreast of the present invention as applied to the body of the wearer.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view taken from the plane 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view taken from the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 isa front elevational view of the molded breast itself, removed from the body and upon an enlarged scale as compared to Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken upon the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a transverse horizontal sectional view taken upon the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, the artificial breast for form A is designed to conform to the body shape B and duplicating the contour C of the natural breast, as appears in Figs. 1, 2 and .3.

It'rises to a peak D adjacent the junction of the shoulder and arm E and it has an outwardly extending flange portion .P which fits under the arm-pit, as indicated at G.

The flange portion F has its extreme extension at H. The portion] between the furtherest extensions D and H has a curvature which tends to conform to the curvature of'the arm-pit.

As best'show'n, the form A is made up of a series of layers 10, 11; 12, 13, 14 and 15 of a lightweight sponge rubber or foam rubber with a nipple as indicated at 16 which is in the center or main axis of the artificial breast.

The central rear face 17 of the form will be positioned flat against the front of the body with a recess 18 provided where necessary to cover or take care of any protuberances.

The side surface or inside surface 19 of the flange J closely clings to the side of the body under the arm K.

The reinforcement or adhesion lines between the layers as indicated at 30 not only provide a reinforcement which tends to keep the breast upright but also permits the flexibility and pliability which enables it to conform more closely to the body shape, and at the same time gives the necessary strength to the peaks D and H and to the flange J.

The conformation as shown in Figs. 1 to 6 assures that the interior faces of the form indicated at 17 and 19 will closely fit over and cling to the area of the side of the chest from the first to the twelfth rib and will extend from the clavicle to the sternum.

Although sponge .rubber is preferable, foam rubber may also be employed, and the device is particularly suitable where there has been a radical mastectomy.

In certain instances it has been found most satisfactory to form the layers of sponge rubber or foam rubber of increasing hardness from the lowermost layer 10 to the uppermost layer 15 with a soft rubber being employed for the layers 10 and 11 and medium hardness being used for the layers 12 and 13, and the hardest being used for the layers 14 and 15.

If desired, a fabric cover may be placed both over the outside and inside faces of the form.

Further extra reinforcement, in addition to the adhesion connection layers, as indicated at 30, in the form of sheets of paper or fabric may be employed to form the junction between the superimposed layers 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15.

It has been found best to use synthetic-type sponge rubber, and if desired in one form the lower layers 10, 11 and 12 may be made of foam rubber and the upper layers 13, 14 and 15 may be made of sponge rubber.

It is thus apparent that the applicant has provided a novel artificial breast for amputees which conforms in its shape, pliability and flexibility and contour to normal Patented Dec. 3,1957

body members and which may be used with a minimum of discomfort and without normal or accidental dislodgment, canting or rotation.

It will cling closely to the body contour by reason of the rearwardly extending side flange and conformation to the arm-pit.

While there has been herein described a preferred form of-the invention, it should be understood that the same may be altered in details and in relative arrangement of parts within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. An artificial breast member for replacement purposes in cases of radical mastectomy comprising a dome portion formed of superimposed layers of cellular rubber to fit over the breast position and a side flange to engage the side of the body.

2. An artificial breast member for replacement purposes in cases of radical mastectomy comprising a dome portion formed of superimposed layers of sponge rubber to fit over the breast position and a side flange to engage the side of the body.

3. An artificial breast member for replacement purposes in cases of radical mastectomy comprising a dome portion formed of superimposed layers of foam rubber to fit over the breast position and a side flange to engage the side of the body.

4. An artificial breast member for replacement purposes in cases of radical mastectomy comprising a dome portion formed of superimposed layers of cellular rubber to fit over the breast position and a side flange to engage the side of the body, said side flange rising to a peak adjacent the arm-pit and having a maximum extension below the armpit.

5. An artificial breast member for replacement purposes in cases of radical mastectomy comprising a dome portion formed of superimposed layers of cellular rubber to fit over the breast position and a side flange to engage the side of the body, said flange having an edge curved to conform to said arm-pit.

6. An artificial breast member for replacement purposes in cases of radical mastectomy comprising a dome portion having a relatively flat base portion with a central recess and formed of cellular rubber, said recess to fit over the breast position of the wearer and a side flange to engage the side of the body, said side flange rising to a peak adjacent the arm-pit and having a maximum extension below the arm-pit and extending perpendicularly to the main plane of the base of the dome to fit alongside of the side of the body and said flange having an upper edge curved to conform to said arm-pit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,082,503 Meadows June 1, 1937 2,345,649 Zimmerman et al. Apr. 4, 1944 2,524,028 Bordner Oct. 3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 628,155 Germany Mar. 30, 1936 

